Brigantes

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Brigantes
Map of the Territory of the Brigantes.svg
Geography
Capital Isurium Brigantum (Aldborough)
Location Yorkshire - Lancashire - Northumberland - Durham
Rulers Cartimandua, Venutius, Vellocatus
The Stanwick Horse Mask, 1st century AD Brit Mus 17sept 048-crop.jpg
The Stanwick Horse Mask, 1st century AD

The Brigantes were Ancient Britons who in pre-Roman times controlled the largest section of what would become Northern England. Their territory, often referred to as Brigantia, was centred in what was later known as Yorkshire. The Greek geographer Ptolemy named the Brigantes as a people in Ireland also, where they could be found around what is now Wexford, Kilkenny and Waterford, [1] while another people named Brigantii is mentioned by Strabo as a sub-tribe of the Vindelici in the region of the Alps. [2]

Contents

Within Britain, the territory which the Brigantes inhabited was bordered by that of four other peoples: the Carvetii in the northwest, the Parisii to the east and, to the south, the Corieltauvi and the Cornovii. To the north was the territory of the Votadini, which straddled the present day border between England and Scotland.

Etymology

The name Brigantes (Βρίγαντες in Ancient Greek) shares the same Proto-Celtic root as the goddess Brigantia, *brigant- meaning "high, elevated", and it is unclear whether settlements called Brigantium were so named as "high ones" in a metaphorical sense of nobility, or literally as "highlanders", referring to the Pennines, or inhabitants of physically elevated fortifications. (IEW, s.v. "bʰerǵʰ-"). The word is related to German Burgund and Iranian Alborz (OIr. Hara Berezaiti).

In modern Welsh the word braint means 'privilege, prestige' and comes from the same root *brigantī. Other related forms from the modern Celtic languages are: Welsh brenin 'king' (< *brigantīnos); Welsh/Cornish/Breton bri 'prestige, reputation, honour, dignity', Scottish Gaelic brìgh 'pith, power', Irish brí 'energy, significance', Manx bree 'power, energy' (all < *brīg-/brigi-); and Welsh/Cornish/Breton bre 'hill' (< *brigā). The name Bridget from Old Irish Brigit (Modern Irish Bríd) also comes from Brigantī, as does the English river name Brent and the connected area Brentford.

There are several ancient settlements named Brigantium around Europe, such as Berganza in Álava (Spain), A Coruña and Bergantiños in Galicia (Spain), Bragança and Braga in Portugal and Briançon, [3] [4] Brigetio on the border of Slovakia and Hungary, [5] Brigobanne situated on the Breg river and near the Brigach river in south Germany (pre-Roman Vindelicia [6] ) [7] and Bregenz in the Alps. From the same origin also stems the name of the Italian sub-region of Brianza.

In chronostratigraphy, the British sub-stage of the Carboniferous period, the Brigantian, derives its name from the Brigantes. [8]

History

Romano-Brigantian theatrical mask Brigantian theatrical mask, YMT.jpeg
Romano-Brigantian theatrical mask

There are no written records of the Brigantes before the Roman conquest of Britain; it is therefore hard to assess how long they had existed as a political entity prior to that. Most key archaeological sites in the region seem to show continued, undisturbed occupation from an early date, so their rise to power may have been gradual rather than a sudden, dramatic conquest, or it may be linked to the burning of the large hill fort at Castle Hill, Huddersfield, c. 430 BC. [9] Territorially the largest tribe in Britain, the Brigantes encompassed sub-tribes or septs such as the Gabrantovices on the Yorkshire Coast, [10] and the Textoverdi in the upper valley of the River South Tyne [11] near Hadrian's Wall. The names Portus Setantiorum and Coria Lopocarum suggest other groups, the Setantii and the Lopocares located on the Lancashire coast and the River Tyne respectively. A name Corionototae [12] is also recorded but since the name seems to derive from *Corion Toutas meaning "tribal army" or "people's army" it may have been a name for a military force or resistance against the Romans rather than any tribe or sub-tribe. The Carvetii who occupied what is now Cumbria may have been another sub-tribe, or they may have been separate from the Brigantes. This is often disputed as the Carvetii made up a separate civitas under Roman rule.

Roman era

During the Roman invasion, in 47 AD, the governor of Britain, Publius Ostorius Scapula, was forced to abandon his campaign against the Deceangli of North Wales because of "disaffection" among the Brigantes, whose leaders had been allies of Rome. A few of those who had taken up arms were killed and the rest were pardoned. [13] In 51, the defeated resistance leader Caratacus sought sanctuary with the Brigantian queen, Cartimandua, but she showed her loyalty to the Romans by handing him over in chains. [14] She and her husband Venutius are described as loyal and "defended by Roman arms", but they later divorced, Venutius taking up arms first against his ex-wife, then her Roman protectors. During the governorship of Aulus Didius Gallus (52–57) he gathered an army and invaded her kingdom. The Romans sent troops to defend Cartimandua, and they defeated Venutius' rebellion. [15] After the divorce, Cartimandua married Venutius' armour-bearer, Vellocatus, and raised him to the kingship. Venutius staged another rebellion in 69, taking advantage of Roman instability in the Year of four emperors. This time the Romans were only able to send auxiliaries, who succeeded in evacuating Cartimandua but left Venutius and his anti-Roman supporters in control of the kingdom. [16]

The extensive Iron Age fortifications at Stanwick in North Yorkshire were excavated in the 1950s by Mortimer Wheeler who concluded that Venutius probably had this site as his capital, but Durham University's later excavations from 1981 to 1986 led Colin Haselgrove and Percival Turnbull to suggest a slightly earlier dating with Stanwick a centre of power for Cartimandua instead. [17]

After the accession of Vespasian, Quintus Petillius Cerialis was appointed governor of Britain and the conquest of the Brigantes was begun. [18] It seems to have taken many decades to complete. Gnaeus Julius Agricola (governor 78–84) appears to have engaged in warfare in Brigantian territory. [19] The Roman poet Juvenal, writing in the early 2nd century, depicts a Roman father urging his son to win glory by destroying the forts of the Brigantes. [20] There appears to have been a rebellion in the north sometime in the early reign of Hadrian, but details are unclear. A rising of the Brigantes has often been posited as the explanation for the disappearance of the Ninth Legion, stationed at York. It is possible that one of the purposes of Hadrian's Wall (begun in 122) was to keep the Brigantes from making discourse with the tribes in what is now the lowlands of Scotland on the other side. The emperor Antoninus Pius (138–161) is said by Pausanias to have defeated them after they began an unprovoked war against Roman allies, [21] perhaps as part of the campaign that led to the building of the Antonine Wall (142–144).

Tacitus, in a speech put into the mouth of the Caledonian leader Calgacus, refers to the Brigantes, "under a woman's leadership", almost defeating the Romans. [22]

Settlements

Ptolemy named nine principal poleis (cities) or towns belonging to the Brigantes; these were:

Latin name Modern name Modern County
Epiacum Whitley Castle, Alston [23] Northumberland
Vinovium Binchester [23] County Durham
Caturactonium Catterick [23] North Yorkshire
CalatumBurrow, Lonsdale [23] Lancashire
Isurium Brigantum Aldborough [23] North Yorkshire
Rigodunum Unknown [a] Greater Manchester
Olicana or OlenacumIlkley [b] West Yorkshire
Eboracum City of York [23] North Yorkshire
Cambodunum Unknown [c] West Yorkshire
a Rigodunum is most likely Castleshaw’s Roman Fort [23] in Greater Manchester.
b Olenacum is traditionally thought to be Ilkley’s Roman Fort, West Yorkshire, but is now thought to be a predecessor of Elslack. [23]
c Cambodunum is most likely the Slack Roman Fort [23] near Outlane, West Yorkshire.

Other settlements known in Brigantian territory include:

Brigantes in Ireland

The Brigantes are attested in Ireland as well as Britain in Ptolemy's 2nd century Geographia , [24] but it is not clear what link, if any, existed between the Irish and the British Brigantes. T. F. O'Rahilly proposed that the Irish branch was the origin of the later Uí Bairrche clan, believing that they belonged to the Érainn (Ptolemy's Iverni) who he hypothesized were originally descendant from the Gaulish and British Belgae [25] according to his model of Irish prehistory. Professor John T. Koch posits links between the British and Irish groups, identifying the Romano-British goddess Brigantia with the Irish Brigid and pointing to a possibly Roman or Romano-British burial in Stonyford, County Kilkenny. He identifies the Irish Brigantes with the early mediaeval Uí Brigte clan. [26]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman conquest of Britain</span> First century AD invasion of Britain by the Romans

The Roman conquest of Britain was the Roman Empire's conquest of most of the island of Britain, which was inhabited by the Celtic Britons. It began in earnest in AD 43 under Emperor Claudius, and was largely completed in the southern half of Britain by AD 87, when the Stanegate was established. The conquered territory became the Roman province of Britannia. Attempts to conquer northern Britain (Caledonia) in the following centuries were not successful.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caratacus</span> 1st-century AD British chieftain of the Catuvellauni tribe

Caratacus was a 1st-century AD British chieftain of the Catuvellauni tribe, who resisted the Roman conquest of Britain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cartimandua</span> 1st century AD Queen of the Brigantes in northern England

Cartimandua or Cartismandua was a 1st-century queen of the Brigantes, a Celtic people living in what is now northern England. She came to power around the time of the Roman conquest of Britain, and formed a large tribal agglomeration that became loyal to Rome. The only account of her is by the Roman historian Tacitus, through which she appears to have been widely influential in early Roman Britain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carvetii</span> British tribe of the Iron Age and Roman era

The Carvetii were a Brittonic Celtic tribe living in what is now Cumbria, in North-West England during the Iron Age, and were subsequently identified as a civitas (canton) of Roman Britain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venutius</span> 1st century AD King of the Brigantes in northern Britain

Venutius was a 1st-century king of the Brigantes in northern Britain at the time of the Roman conquest. Some have suggested he may have belonged to the Carvetii, a tribe that probably formed part of the Brigantes confederation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catuvellauni</span> Celtic tribe

The Catuvellauni were a Celtic tribe or state of southeastern Britain before the Roman conquest, attested by inscriptions into the 4th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ordovices</span>

The Ordovīcēs were one of the Celtic tribes living in Great Britain before the Roman invasion. Their tribal lands were located in present-day North Wales and England, between the Silures to the south and the Deceangli to the north-east. Unlike the latter tribes that appear to have acquiesced to Roman rule with little resistance, the Ordovices fiercely resisted the Romans. They were eventually subjugated by the Roman governor Gnaeus Julius Agricola in the campaign of 77–78CE when the Romans overran their final strongholds on Anglesey.

The Setantii were a possible pre-Roman British people who apparently lived in the western and southern littoral of Lancashire in England. It is thought likely they were a sept or sub-tribe of the Brigantes, who, at the time of the Roman invasion, dominated much of what is now northern England.

The Selgovae were a Celtic tribe of the late 2nd century AD who lived in what is now the Stewartry of Kirkcudbright and Dumfriesshire, on the southern coast of Scotland. They are mentioned briefly in Ptolemy's Geography, and there is no other historical record of them. Their cultural and ethnic affinity is commonly assumed to have been Brittonic.

Marcus Vettius Bolanus was a Roman senator and soldier. He was suffect consul for the nundinium of September-December 66 as the colleague of Marcus Arruntius Aquila.

Vellocatus was a first-century king of the Brigantes tribe of northern Britain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman client kingdoms in Britain</span>

The Roman client kingdoms in Britain were native tribes which chose to align themselves with the Roman Empire because they saw it as the best option for self-preservation or for protection from other hostile tribes. Alternatively, the Romans created some client kingdoms when they felt influence without direct rule was desirable. Client kingdoms were ruled by client kings. In Latin these kings were referred to as rex sociusque et amicus, which translates to "king, ally, and friend". The type of relationships between client kingdoms and Rome was reliant on the individual circumstances in each kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanwick St John</span> Village and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England

Stanwick St John is a village, civil parish, former manor and ecclesiastical parish in the Richmondshire district of North Yorkshire,, England. It is situated between the towns of Darlington and Richmond, close to Scotch Corner and the remains of the Roman fort and bridge at Piercebridge.

The Novantae were a people of the late 2nd century who lived in what is now Galloway and Carrick, in southwesternmost Scotland. They are mentioned briefly in Ptolemy's Geography, and there is no other historical record of them. Excavations at Rispain Camp, near Whithorn, show that it was a large fortified farmstead occupied between 100 BC and 200 AD, indicating that the people living in the area at that time were engaged in agriculture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stanwick Iron Age Fortifications</span> Iron Age hill fort in North Yorkshire, England

Stanwick Iron Age Fortifications, a huge Iron Age hill fort, sometimes but not always considered an oppidum, comprising over 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) of ditches and ramparts enclosing approximately 300 hectares of land, are situated in Richmondshire, North Yorkshire, England. Whether Stanwick was the stronghold of Venutius or Cartimandua, or perhaps of them both for a brief time before their acrimonious split some time after 51 AD, it is certain that this settlement was one of the most important in Brigantia, the Brigantes kingdom during the early stages of the Roman occupation of Britain. The site is a scheduled monument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iron Age tribes in Britain</span>

The names of the Celtic Iron Age tribes in Britain were recorded by Roman and Greek historians and geographers, especially Ptolemy. Information from the distribution of Celtic coins has also shed light on the extents of the territories of the various groups that occupied the island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brigantia (goddess)</span> Goddess in Celtic religion

Brigantia or Brigindo was a goddess in Celtic religion of Late Antiquity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isurium Brigantum</span> Roman fort and town at Aldborough in North Yorkshire, England

Isurium or Isurium of the Brigantes was a Roman fort and town in the province of Britannia at the site of present-day Aldborough in North Yorkshire, England, in the United Kingdom. Its remains—the Aldborough Roman Site—are in the care of English Heritage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brigantia (ancient region)</span>

Brigantia is the land inhabited by the Brigantes, a British Celtic tribe which occupied the largest territory in ancient Britain. The territory of Brigantia which now forms Northern England and part of The Midlands covered the majority of the land between the River Tyne and the Humber estuary forming the largest Brythonic Kingdom in ancient Britain. It was recorded by Ptolemy in the 2nd century AD to extend sea to sea, from the Irish sea on the west coast to the North Sea in the east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Cumbria</span> Area that used to lay on the north-west frontier of Roman Britain and the Roman Empire itself

Roman Cumbria was an area that lay on the north-west frontier of Roman Britain, and, indeed, of the Roman Empire itself.. Interest in the Roman occupation of the region lies in this frontier aspect: why did the Romans choose to occupy the north-west of England; why build a solid barrier in the north of the region ; why was the region so heavily militarised; to what extent were the native inhabitants "Romanised" compared to their compatriots in southern England?

References

  1. "Celtic Ireland in the Iron Age". WesleyJohnston.com. 24 October 2007.
  2. Strabo, Geographia Book IV Chap. 6
  3. "The Brigantes". Roman-Britain.co.uk. 24 October 2007.
  4. "Brigantium". Terra.es. 24 October 2007. Archived from the original on 18 September 2008. Retrieved 25 October 2007.
  5. "Brigetio (Szöny) Komárom". The Princeton encyclopedia. 1976.
  6. "Vindelicia map". Europeana. 1830.
  7. "Brigobanne Germany". The Princeton encyclopedia. 1976.
  8. Harland, W.B. 1990 A Geologic Time Scale 1989, Cambridge University Press p43
  9. William Jones Varley, Castle Hill, Almondbury; A Brief Guide to the Excavations 19391972 Tolson Memorial Museum (1973)
  10. Ptolemy, Geographia II, 3, 4
  11. B. Collingwood & R.P. Wright (eds.) The Roman Inscriptions of Britain (1965) Oxford
  12. Mc Caul, John, Britanno-Roman Inscriptions with Critical Notes (1863)
  13. Tacitus, Annals 12.32
  14. Tacitus, Annals 12:36
  15. Tacitus, Annals 12:40
  16. Tacitus, Histories 3:45
  17. Stanwick North Yorkshire, Part I : Recent Research and Previous Archaeological Investigations; Haselgrove, Turnbull, Fitts; Royal Archaeological Institute
  18. Tacitus, Agricola 17
  19. Tacitus, Agricola 20
  20. Juvenal, Satires 14.196
  21. Pausanias, Description of Greece 8.43.4
  22. Tacitus, Agricola 31
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Geographical identifications as given in www.roman-britain.co.uk. "The Geography of Ptolemy" . Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  24. Ptolemy, Geographia 2.1, 2.2
  25. O'Rahilly, T. F. (1946), Early Irish History and Mythology, Dublin: Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies
  26. Koch, J.T., Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia Vol. I pp. 312-313
  27. "The Why and How". Wigan Warriors Blog. 1 November 2020. Retrieved 2 November 2020.

Further reading